Diffraction Pattern Detection In A Transmission Charged Particle Microscope

ABSTRACT

Techniques of using a Transmission Charged Particle Microscope for diffraction pattern detection are disclosed. An example method including irradiating at least a portion of a specimen with a charged particle beam, using an imaging system to collect charged particles that traverse the specimen during said irradiation, and to direct them onto a detector configured to operate in a particle counting mode, using said detector to record a diffraction pattern of said irradiated portion of the specimen, recording said diffraction pattern iteratively in a series of successive detection frames, and during recording of each frame, using a scanning assembly for causing relative motion of said diffraction pattern and said detector, so as to cause each local intensity maximum in said pattern to trace out a locus on said detector.

The invention relates to a method of using a Transmission ChargedParticle Microscope (TCPM), comprising:

-   -   Providing a specimen on a specimen holder;    -   Using a charged particle beam column to produce a charged        particle beam and irradiate at least a portion of the specimen        therewith;    -   Using an imaging system to collect charged particles that        traverse the specimen during said irradiation, and to direct        them onto a detector; and    -   Using said detector to record a diffraction pattern of said        irradiated portion of the specimen.        The invention also relates to a charged particle microscope in        which such a method can be enacted.

Charged-particle microscopy is a well-known and increasingly importanttechnique for imaging microscopic objects, particularly in the form ofelectron microscopy. Historically, the basic genus of electronmicroscope has undergone evolution into a number of well-known apparatusspecies, such as the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), ScanningElectron Microscope (SEM), and Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope(STEM), and also into various sub-species, such as so-called “dual-beam”apparatus (e.g. a FIB-SEM), which additionally employ a “machining”Focused Ion Beam (FIB), allowing supportive activities such as ion-beammilling or Ion-Beam-Induced Deposition (IBID), for example. Morespecifically:

In an SEM, irradiation of a specimen by a scanning electron beamprecipitates emanation of “auxiliary” radiation from the specimen, inthe form of secondary electrons, backscattered electrons, X-rays andcathodoluminescence (infrared, visible and/or ultraviolet photons), forexample; one or more components of this emanating radiation is/are thendetected and used for image accumulation purposes.

In a TEM, the electron beam used to irradiate the specimen is chosen tobe of a high-enough energy to penetrate the specimen (which, to thisend, will generally be thinner than in the case of a SEM specimen); thetransmitted electrons emanating from the specimen can then be used tocreate an image. When such a TEM is operated in scanning mode (thusbecoming a STEM), the image in question will be accumulated during ascanning motion of the irradiating electron beam.

As an alternative to the use of electrons as irradiating beam, chargedparticle microscopy can also be performed using other species of chargedparticle. In this respect, the phrase “charged particle” should bebroadly interpreted as encompassing electrons, positive ions (e.g. Ga orHe ions), negative ions, protons and positrons, for instance.

It should be noted that, in addition to imaging and performing(localized) surface modification (e.g. milling, etching, deposition,etc.), a charged particle microscope may also have otherfunctionalities, such as performing spectroscopy, examiningdiffractograms, etc.

In all cases, a Charged Particle Microscope (CPM) will comprise at leastthe following components:

A particle source, such as an electron source or ion source.

An illuminator (e.g., a charged particle beam column), which serves tomanipulate a “raw” radiation beam from the particle source and performupon it certain operations such as focusing, aberration mitigation,cropping (e.g., with a diaphragm), filtering, etc. It will generallycomprise one or more (charged-particle) lenses, and may comprise othertypes of (particle-) optical components also. If desired, theilluminator can be provided with a deflector system that can be invokedto cause the exit beam to perform a scanning motion across the specimenbeing investigated.

A specimen holder on which a specimen under investigation can be heldand positioned (e.g. tilted, rotated). If desired, this holder can bemoved so as to effect scanning motion of the specimen with respect tothe beam. In general, such a specimen holder will be connected to apositioning system. When designed to hold cryogenic specimens, thespecimen holder can comprise means for maintaining said specimen atcryogenic temperatures, e.g. using an appropriately connected cryogenvat.

A detector (for detecting radiation emanating from an irradiatedspecimen), which may be unitary or compound/distributed in nature, andwhich can take many different forms, depending on the radiation beingdetected. Examples include photodiodes, CMOS detectors, CCD detectors,photovoltaic cells, X-ray detectors (such as Silicon Drift Detectors andSi(Li) detectors), etc. In general, a CPM may comprise several differenttypes of detector, selections of which can be invoked in differentsituations.

In the case of a transmission-type microscope (such as a (S)TEM, forexample), a CPM will additionally comprise:

An imaging system, which essentially takes charged particles that aretransmitted through a specimen (plane) and directs (focuses) them ontoanalysis apparatus, such as a detection/imaging device, spectroscopicapparatus (such as an EELS device: EELS=Electron Energy-LossSpectroscopy), etc. As with the illuminator referred to above, theimaging system may also perform other functions, such as aberrationmitigation, cropping, filtering, etc., and it will generally compriseone or more charged-particle lenses and/or other types ofparticle-optical components.

In what follows, the techniques disclosed herein may—by way ofexample—sometimes be set forth in the specific context of electronmicroscopy; however, such simplification is intended solely forclarity/illustrative purposes, and should not be interpreted aslimiting.

Charged-particle irradiation generally causes radiation damage tospecimens, especially biological samples. Consequently, in (for example)life science TEM applications, it is desirable to work at relativelylow-dose illumination conditions, in an attempt to minimize radiationdamage to the specimen. Such low-dose operation, however, tends to causea degradation in signal quality. These conflicting effects present theTCPM (Transmission Charged Particle Microscope) operator with aconundrum.

It is an object of the present disclosure to address this issue. Morespecifically, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide meansby which a TCPM can be used to record diffraction patterns at relativelylow dose and yet with a satisfactory signal quality.

These and other objects are achieved in a method as set forth in theopening paragraph above, further characterized by:

-   -   Configuring said detector to operate in particle counting mode;    -   Recording said diffraction pattern iteratively in a series of        successive detection frames, and summing said frames;    -   During recording of each frame, causing relative motion of said        diffraction pattern and said detector, so as to cause each local        intensity maximum in said pattern to trace out a locus on said        detector.

The skilled artisan will be familiar with the concept of a detectionframe (or just “frame”) as here alluded to—e.g. by analogy to the way inwhich a television picture is captured at a certain number of “frames”per second, for instance. In essence, a detection frame F_(n) representsthe content captured and read-out from a pixel array in a particulartemporal interval T_(n)—which process can be repeated during an extendedtime lapse so as to acquire a series of successively-captured frames{F_(n), F_(n+1), F_(n+2), . . . }. It should be noted that the pixelarray in question may constitute the entire of the detection surface ofthe employed detector, or just a subset thereof. In this latter context,it should be noted that, for example, the detection surface of a CMOSdetector can be sub-divided into a number of constituent pixel arrays(subsets), each of which can, if desired, be read out at differentrates; in such an instance, the “frame” of the present invention can beregarded as referring to content from a given one of such subsets, whoseconstituent pixels are read out together.

The principles underlying the present disclosure can be set forth asfollows:

Use of a detector/camera with a relatively high Detective QuantumEfficiency (DQE) will help to optimize the detected signal in low-dosesituations. In the invention, such a high DQE is achieved over awide/full spatial frequency regime by applying so-called particlecounting techniques, e.g. using direct electron detectors.

When registering diffraction patterns, such particle counting cannot beapplied in a straightforward manner, because the signal/pattern to bedetected is concentrated in localized, intense peaks (intensitymaxima/bright spots). Particle hit rates in the most intense part of adiffraction pattern are very high. In order to avoid compromisedcounting statistics (associated with the detector's inevitable “deadtime” between hits, and so-called “pile ups”/coincidence loss), the hitrate for counting must therefore be kept relatively low (e.g. notexceeding 1 particle per 20-40 frames). Accordingly, even with a veryfast camera (e.g. ca. 200-400 frames/s) the admissible count rate perpixel (e.g. 10 particles/pixel/s) will tend to be too low for practicalpurposes.

The invention addresses this problem by imposing a (small) beam/detectorrelative motion during each frame recording, thereby causing each brightspot in the diffraction pattern to be “smeared out” along a locus thatintercepts a number N of pixels, e.g., a plurality of pixels, of thedetector. In this way, the average dose rate per pixel is reduced, e.g.,by a factor N, and pile-ups—if they occur—will impact different pixelsalong the locus, thereby allowing them to be “resolved” into individualhits. As a result, a higher count rate can be realized, and counting canthus become a practicable way of (inter alia) recording relatively weakdiffraction spots in low-dose diffraction patterns.

Because the diffraction pattern is moved (relative to the detector)according to a known locus, the original (unmoved) diffraction patterncan be restored computationally, by applying a straightforwarddeconvolution to each frame (to nullify the effect of the motion). Inthis way, the positions and intensities of peaks/maxima in(complex/crowded) diffraction patterns can be very accuratelydetermined.

The techniques disclosed herein, inter alia, mitigates the problem ofrecording weak diffraction peaks in low-dose (complex) diffractionpatterns of organic crystals (such as proteins, for example). Such weakdiffraction peaks often contain the highest-resolution information, sothat application of the techniques is accordingly expected to revealhigher-resolution structures in organic molecules in electroncrystallography studies, for example. The same expectation applies tolow-dose inorganic samples, such as certain polymeric and zeolitesamples, for instance. Another problem that is addressed by thetechniques is that the risk of detector damage can be reduced, bysmearing out the high-intensity peaks over several pixels of thedetection surface, thus reducing the dose-per-pixel. And, as alreadymentioned above, miscounts due to pile-ups are mitigated, since theconstituent events of pile-ups can be resolved (because they areregistered by different pixels on the abovementioned locus). Note that,by its very essence, the techniques are counter-intuitive: normally, onetries to avoid intra-frame relative motion of the diffraction patternand detector—e.g. due to vibration or thermal drift—whereas, in thedisclosed techniques, one is deliberately producing and exploitingrelative motion of the two.

The abovementioned relative motion of the diffraction pattern/detectorcan be effected using a scanning assembly selected from the groupcomprising: (i) a beam deflection module (e.g. comprising deflectioncoils/electrodes) located between the specimen and detector, to displacethe diffraction pattern upon the detector; (ii) an actuator module (e.g.motorized stage) connected to the detector, to displace the detectorrelative to the diffraction pattern, and combinations thereof. Beamscanning ((i)) is the traditional approach used in scanning-type CPMs(such as SEMs and STEMs), though the current disclosure will require itsmodification (to occur after/below rather than before/above thespecimen). Approach (ii) is less common in CPMs, though this does nothave to present a technical hurdle, since sophisticated scanning stagesare already used in fields such as lithography, and are available inmany different implementations.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, an amplitude of saidrelative motion is selected such that, for any given first and secondlocal intensity maximum in the diffraction pattern being recorded, thecorresponding first and second loci do not mutually intersect. Such anembodiment essentially ensures that the pattern is not smeared outacross itself, i.e. the loci followed by neighboring bright spots do notcross each other's paths. Put another way: if the selected locus fitswithin a smallest area, e.g., unit cell, neighboring unit cells do notoverlap. Such motion simplifies the deconvolution task referred toabove. It should be noted, however, that this is not a mandatorypre-condition: if desired, the chosen locus may violate this rule,though this will (somewhat) complicate distillation of the original(static) diffraction pattern from the smeared out version on thedetector.

As regards the selected locus, this may have different possible forms,such as a straight line segment or arc, for example. Alternatively, itmay be a closed curve, such as a circle, ellipse or oval, for example.An advantage of a closed curve is that it can have coincident startingand finishing points, which can be advantageous from the point of viewof scanning mechanics (via-à-vis effects such as hysteresis, reversal,jerk, etc.—which are pertinent to both motional approaches (i) and (ii)above). With reference to the previous paragraph, and by way ofillustrative example: if the two closest spots in a given pattern areseparated by 20 detector pixels (for instance), then a circular locus ofdiameter <20 pixels will avoid the abovementioned intersectionphenomenon. An advantage of a circular locus (for example) is that itsgeometric center can be determined with just three particle hits alongits circumference. A circular locus also optimally avoids theabove-mentioned intersection/overlapping issue, since it has the same“width” (diameter/amplitude) in all directions.

It should be noted that a diffraction pattern may be inspected at adiscrete number of different tilt values of the specimen involved; insuch a situation, in the context of the present invention, a summedseries of frames can be acquired for each distinct tilt value. A similarconsideration applies in the case of a specimen that undergoes achemical/physical change; in such an instance, a summed series of framescan be separately acquired before and after the change concerned.

The detector used in the invention may, for example, comprise a CCD(Charge-Coupled Device). Alternatively, as alluded to above, it couldcomprise a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor, forexample. A possible advantage of a CMOS sensor is that it allowsadaptive readout rates—e.g. allowing a first detector region receiving arelatively strong signal (e.g. surrounding the central/zero-order peakof a diffraction pattern) to be read out more frequently (e.g. twice orthree times more frequently) than a second detector region receiving arelatively weak signal (e.g. near a higher-order, subordinatediffraction peak), and thus allowing an improvement in overall dynamicrange; for instance, in the specific context of the present disclosure,said first detector region could be read out after completion of eachmotional locus (frequency f₁), whereas said second detector region couldbe read out after completion of each pair of motional loci (frequencyf₂=½ f₁)_(.)

In principle, the disclosed method may be considered to suffer somelimitation in a situation in which the diffraction peaks aresuperimposed on a strong background signal; however, usually, such abackground contribution is relatively low—especially if zero-lossenergy-filtering is applied. This is therefore not a significant issue.

The invention will now be elucidated in more detail on the basis ofexemplary embodiments and the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 renders a longitudinal cross-sectional elevation view of anembodiment of a TCPM in which the present invention is implemented.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a diffraction pattern of an asbestosspecimen, recorded using an embodiment of the present invention.

In the Figures, where pertinent, corresponding parts are indicated usingcorresponding reference symbols.

EMBODIMENT 1

FIG. 1 (not to scale) is a highly schematic depiction of an embodimentof a TCPM M in which the present invention is implemented; morespecifically, it shows an embodiment of a TEM/STEM (though, in thecontext of the current disclosure, it could just as validly be anion-based microscope, for example). In the Figure, within a vacuumenclosure 2, an electron source 4 produces a beam B of electrons thatpropagates along an electron-optical axis B′ and traverses anelectron-optical illuminator (charged particle beam column) 6, servingto direct/focus the electrons onto a chosen part of a specimen S (whichmay, for example, be (locally) thinned/planarized). Also depicted is adeflector 8, which (inter alia) can be used to effect scanning motion ofthe beam B.

The specimen S is held on a specimen holder H that can be positioned inmultiple degrees of freedom by a positioning device/stage A, which movesa cradle A′ into which holder H is (removably) affixed; for example, thespecimen holder H may comprise a finger that can be moved (inter alia)in the XY plane (see the depicted Cartesian coordinate system;typically, motion parallel to Z and tilt about X/Y will also bepossible). Such movement allows different parts of the specimen S to beilluminated/imaged/inspected by the electron beam B traveling along axisB′ (in the Z direction), and/or allows scanning motion to be performedas an alternative to beam scanning. If desired, an optional coolingdevice (not depicted) can be brought into intimate thermal contact withthe specimen holder H, so as to maintain it (and the specimen Sthereupon) at cryogenic temperatures, for example.

The electron beam B will interact with the specimen S in such a manneras to cause various types of “stimulated” radiation to emanate from thespecimen S, including (for example) secondary electrons, backscatteredelectrons, X-rays and optical radiation (cathodoluminescence). Ifdesired, one or more of these radiation types can be detected with theaid of analysis device 22, which might be a combinedscintillator/photomultiplier or EDX (Energy-Dispersive X-RaySpectroscopy) module, for instance; in such a case, an image could beconstructed using basically the same principle as in an SEM. However,alternatively or supplementally, one can study electrons that traverse(pass through) the specimen S, exit/emanate from it and continue topropagate (substantially, though generally with somedeflection/scattering) along axis B′. Such a transmitted electron fluxenters an imaging system (projection lens) 24, which will generallycomprise a variety of electrostatic/magnetic lenses, deflectors,correctors (such as stigmators), etc. In normal (non-scanning) TEM mode,this imaging system 24 can focus the transmitted electron flux onto afluorescent screen 26, which, if desired, can be retracted/withdrawn (asschematically indicated by arrows 26′) so as to get it out of the way ofaxis B′. An image or diffractogram of (part of) the specimen S will beformed by imaging system 24 on screen 26, and this may be viewed throughviewing port 28 located in a suitable part of a wall of enclosure 2. Theretraction mechanism for screen 26 may, for example, be mechanicaland/or electrical in nature, and is not depicted here.

As an alternative to viewing an image/diffractogram on screen 26, onecan instead make use of the fact that the depth of focus of the electronflux leaving imaging system 24 is generally quite large (e.g. of theorder of 1 meter). Consequently, various other types of analysisapparatus can be used downstream of screen 26, such as:

TEM camera 30. At camera 30, the electron flux can form a static imageor diffractogram that can be processed by controller/processor 20 anddisplayed on a display device (not depicted), such as a flat paneldisplay, for example. When not required, camera 30 can beretracted/withdrawn (as schematically indicated by arrows 30′) so as toget it out of the way of axis B′.

STEM camera 32. An output from camera 32 can be recorded as a functionof (X,Y) scanning position of the beam B on the specimen S, and an imagecan be constructed that is a “map” of output from camera 32 as afunction of X,Y. Camera 32 can comprise a single pixel with a diameterof e.g. 20 mm, as opposed to the matrix of pixels characteristicallypresent in camera 30. Moreover, camera 32 will generally have a muchhigher acquisition rate (e.g. 10⁶ points per second) than camera 30(e.g. 10² images per second). Once again, when not required, camera 32can be retracted/withdrawn (as schematically indicated by arrows 32′) soas to get it out of the way of axis B′ (although such retraction wouldnot be a necessity in the case of a donut-shaped annular dark fieldcamera 32, for example; in such a camera, a central hole would allowflux passage when the camera was not in use).

As an alternative to imaging using cameras 30 or 32, one can also invokespectroscopic apparatus 34, which could be an EELS module, for example.

It should be noted that the order/location of items 30, 32 and 34 is notstrict, and many possible variations are conceivable. For example,spectroscopic apparatus 34 can also be integrated into the imagingsystem 24.

Note that the controller (computer processor) 20 is connected to variousillustrated components via control lines (buses) 20′. This controller 20can provide a variety of functions, such as synchronizing actions,providing setpoints, processing signals, performing calculations, anddisplaying messages/information on a display device (not depicted).Needless to say, the (schematically depicted) controller 20 may be(partially) inside or outside the enclosure 2, and may have a unitary orcomposite structure, as desired.

The skilled artisan will understand that the interior of the enclosure 2does not have to be kept at a strict vacuum; for example, in a so-called“Environmental TEM/STEM”, a background atmosphere of a given gas isdeliberately introduced/maintained within the enclosure 2. The skilledartisan will also understand that, in practice, it may be advantageousto confine the volume of enclosure 2 so that, where possible, itessentially hugs the axis B′, taking the form of a small tube (e.g. ofthe order of 1 cm in diameter) through which the employed electron beampasses, but widening out to accommodate structures such as the source 4,specimen holder H, screen 26, camera 30, camera 32, spectroscopicapparatus 34.

In the context of the present disclosure, a beam deflector module 40 isprovided between imaging system 24 and TEM camera 30, so as to be ableto laterally deflect electrons emerging from imaging system 24—morespecifically, to cause said electrons to trace out a controllable locus(in the XY plane) upon a detection surface of camera 30.Alternatively/supplementally, camera 30 may be mounted on a fine XYmotional stage, so as to achieve the same ultimate effect via detectormotion rather than beam motion. A combination of both beam deflectionand detector movement may also be implemented. With camera 30 operatingin electron counting mode, said locus is traced out (one or more times)during recording of each constituent frame in a multi-frame diffractionmeasurement series—thereby registering a diffraction pattern in whichconstituent bright spots are replaced by individual versions of thetraced-out locus. Such a scenario is depicted in FIG. 2, for example,which show a diffraction pattern of an asbestos specimen, obtained usingthe disclosed method in conjunction with a circular locus. The lowerportion of FIG. 2 renders a magnified view of the content of the whiteinset/box in the upper portion of FIG. 2, and clearly shows the circularlocus traced out by the various diffraction spots. The individualelectron hits along each locus are summed/integrated so as to give acumulative electron dose/intensity for each spot in the pattern.

1. A method of using a Transmission Charged Particle Microscope,comprising: providing a specimen on a specimen holder; using a chargedparticle beam column to produce a charged particle beam and irradiate atleast a portion of the specimen therewith; using an imaging system tocollect charged particles that traverse the specimen during saidirradiation, and to direct them onto a detector; using said detector torecord a diffraction pattern of said irradiated portion of the specimen,said detector configured to operate in particle counting mode; recordingsaid diffraction pattern iteratively in a series of successive detectionframes, and summing said frames; and during recording of each frame,using a scanning assembly for causing relative motion of saiddiffraction pattern and said detector, so as to cause each localintensity maximum in said pattern to trace out a locus on said detector.2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the scanning assembly isselected from the group comprising: a beam deflection module locatedbetween the specimen and detector, to displace the diffraction patternupon the detector; an actuator module connected to the detector, todisplace the detector relative to the diffraction pattern, and acombination thereof.
 3. A method according to claim 1, wherein anamplitude of said relative motion is selected such that, for any givenfirst and second local intensity maximum, the corresponding first andsecond loci do not mutually intersect.
 4. A method according to claim 1,wherein said locus is a closed curve.
 5. A method according to claim 4,wherein said locus is circular.
 6. A method according to claim 1,wherein: said detector comprise a CMOS sensor; and a first sensor regionreceiving a relatively strong signal is read out more frequently than asecond sensor region receiving a relatively weak signal.
 7. Atransmission charged particle microscope comprising: a specimen holder,for holding a specimen; a charged particle beam column, for producing acharged particle beam and irradiating at least a portion of the specimentherewith; an imaging system, for collecting charged particles thattraverse the specimen during said irradiation, and directing them onto adetector configured to record a diffraction pattern of said irradiatedportion of the specimen; and a controller, for controlling at least someoperational aspects of the microscope, configured to: operate saiddetector in particle counting mode; record said diffraction patterniteratively in a series of successive detection frames, and sum saidframes; and during recording of each frame, invoke a scanning assemblyto effect relative motion of said diffraction pattern and said detectorso as to cause each local intensity maximum in said pattern to trace outa locus on said detector.
 8. The transmission charged particlemicroscope of claim 6, wherein the scanning assembly is selected fromthe group comprising: a beam deflection module located between thespecimen and detector, to displace the diffraction pattern upon thedetector; an actuator module connected to the detector, to displace thedetector relative to the diffraction pattern, and a combination thereof.9. The transmission charged particle microscope of claim 6, wherein anamplitude of said relative motion is selected such that, for any givenfirst and second local intensity maximum, the corresponding first andsecond loci do not mutually intersect.
 10. The transmission chargedparticle microscope of claim 6, wherein said locus is a closed curve.11. The transmission charged particle microscope of claim 10, whereinsaid locus is circular.
 12. The transmission charged particle microscopeof claim 6, wherein: said detector comprise a CMOS sensor; and a firstsensor region receiving a relatively strong signal is read out morefrequently than a second sensor region receiving a relatively weaksignal.
 13. A method comprising: operating a detector of a chargedparticle microscope in a particle counting mode; irradiating a samplewith a charged particle beam; iteratively recording, by the detector, adiffraction pattern of the irradiated sample in a series of successivedetection frames, the diffraction pattern formed in response to thecharged particle beam traversing the sample; and while recording eachframe of the series of successive detection frames, causing, by ascanning assembly, relative motion of the diffraction pattern and thedetector to cause each local intensity maximum of the diffractionpattern to trace out a path on the detector.
 14. The method of claim 13,further comprising: deconvolving each frame of the series of successivedetection frames to nullify the effect of the motion.
 15. The method ofclaim 14, wherein the deconvolving restores the original diffractionpattern.
 16. The method of claim 13, further comprising: reading out afirst area of the detector during each detection frame of the series ofsuccessive detection frames at a first frequency; and reading out asecond area of the detector during each detection frame of the series ofsuccessive detection frames at a second frequency, the second frequencydifferent than the first frequency.
 17. The method of claim 16, whereinthe first frequency is higher than the second frequency.
 18. The methodof claim 13, wherein causing, by a scanning assembly, relative motion ofthe diffraction pattern and the detector comprises one of: deflectingthe beam of charged particle to trace out the path on the detector;displacing the detector to trace out the path on the detector; and Acombination thereof.
 19. The method of claim 13, wherein the relativemotion of the diffraction pattern and the detector is such that adjacentintensity maximum of the diffraction pattern do not overlap.
 20. Themethod of claim 13, wherein the path is a closed curve.